Dr. Alia Tuqan is a board-certified geriatrician with the highly regarded UCLA Geriatrics Program in Santa Monica and Westwood. For more information, call 310.319.4371 or visit www.uclahealth.org.

Posted Apr. 14, 2013, 8:59 am

Special To The Mirror

By Alia Tuqan, M.D.

May is designated “National Osteoporosis Awareness and
Prevention Month” to highlight the importance of maintaining strong, healthy
bones. But any month is a good time to think about bone health and
osteoporosis.

Bone is a dynamic, vital organ composed of the minerals
calcium and phosphorus, collagen, other proteins and two types of cells: ones
that build bone and others that break it down.

In children and young adults until their mid-20s, the
bone-creating cells build it faster than the other cells destroy it. In adults,
there is a balance between bone created and bone destroyed. As adults age,
however, they can develop an imbalance when some cells break down bone faster
than others build it, leading to thinning, porous bones.

Osteoporosis is a disorder caused by abnormal thinning
of bone. People with osteoporosis are at increased risk of fractures.
Compression fractures – small breaks in the vertebrae – and hip fractures after
falls are unfortunate consequences.

Screening

The most common screening for osteoporosis is called a
DEXA scan. All guidelines recommend screening post-menopausal women age 65 or
older because they are at highest risk for osteoporosis and fractures.

Although there are no universally accepted screening
guidelines for men in this age group, they also may be screened for
osteoporosis, as well as younger women with certain risk factors.

Treatment

There are several types of medications used to treat
osteoporosis and reduce the risk of fractures. The most common class of medications is called bisphosphonates, such as
alendronate (Fosamax), ibandronate (Boniva), and risedronate (Actonel).

For those who cannot tolerate these types of
medications, there are other treatment options.

Reducing Fall Risk

If you have osteoporosis, here are practical ways to
reduce your risk of falls:

These tips can help maintain strong, healthy bones and
prevent osteoporosis:

• Eat a diet rich in calcium. Foods high in calcium include milk, yogurt
and other dairy products; spinach, kale and other green vegetables; almonds,
other nuts and sunflower and sesame seeds; and soy milk, tofu and other
calcium-fortified products.

• Load up on vitamin D. Sunlight is a good source of vitamin D, but increases skin-cancer
risk. Vitamin D-rich foods include oily
fish, such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines; mushrooms; and vitamin
D-fortified milk and juice.

• Talk to your doctor about supplements if your diet is
deficient in calcium and vitamin D.